The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Sunday it may file an election-related offense case against suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo following the findings that she and Chinese passport holder Guo Hua Ping have matching fingerprints.
Comelec chairman George Garcia said that the poll body may file charges “motu proprio” or on its own against Guo based on misrepresentation.
Based on Guo’s Certificate of Candidacy (COC) when she ran as mayor of the Tarlac municipality in the 2022 elections, she signed a declaration that she is a Filipino citizen, and that she is not a permanent resident of or an immigrant to a foreign country.
“Ang isang taong ‘yan ay pupwedeng humarap ng election offense na may three to five years na imprisonment. At the same time, pwedeng maharap ng kasong perjury o…dahil nagsinungaling nga sa isang pinanumpaan na dokumento, kasong falsification [of public document],” Garcia said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.
(That person may face an election offense with three to five years imprisonment. At the same time, she may face a case of perjury or falsification of public documents because she lied when she signed a sworn document.)
The poll chairman also pointed out that the country’s laws are applicable to anyone, whether they are Filipinos or foreigners. He also said that a government official may still face a criminal case even after getting elected.
“Kahit ang isang taong tumakbo ay hindi nafile-an ng kasong disqualification o kanselasyon ng kanyang candidacy, hindi nangangahulugan na siya ay pupwede nang malibre o ma-abswelto sa kahit na anong obligasyon o responsibilidad lalo pa’t ito’y kasong kriminal, lalo na ‘yung tinatawag na misrepresentation,” Garcia added.
(Even if a case of disqualification or cancellation of candidacy was not filed against a person running for election, it does not mean that s/he can be absolved from any obligation or responsibility, especially a criminal case like misrepresentation.)
The Comelec earlier submitted to the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality the COC and Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) of Guo.
According to her COC, the 37-year old Guo declared Tarlac, Tarlac as her place of birth.
Guo also stated in her COC that on the day before the May 9 elections, she has been living in the Philippines for 35 years and two months and she has been living in the municipality of Bamban, Tarlac for 18 years and two months.
However, Senator Risa Hontiveros, as confirmed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), revealed that the embattled mayor and Guo Hua Ping are the same person following finding that they have matching fingerprints.
The NBI also showed a picture of another woman with the name Alice Leal Guo who had the same information as the suspended mayor.
Guo is at the center of the Senate investigation into the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) hub in Bamban after several seized documents showed that she was personally involved in the processing of documents for its operations.
Guo’s citizenship was also questioned due to her inconsistent testimonies about her background and the supposed dubious documents regarding her Filipino citizenship. —KG, GMA Integrated News
